SouthPeak Buys Fellow Publisher Gamecock

Publisher SouthPeak Interactive (Two Worlds, Ninjatown) has acquired Gamecock Media Group, along with its slate of titles including Legendary, Mushroom Men and Velvet Assassin. "Gamecock brings us a solid slate of upcoming titles, including Legendary, Mushroom Men and Velvet Assassin and supports our strategy of working with independent developers," says SouthPeak CEO Melanie Mroz, emphasizing that Legendary and Mushroom Men will still ship in the current schedule. "We are excited to give the Gamecock titles a bigger platform to succeed," Mroz adds. Both publishers have a specific focus on independent developers. Founded in February 2007 by ex-Gathering of Developers execs Mike Wilson and Harry Miller, Gamecock has modeled its business around independent film, aiming to sign innovative new IP and work closely with studios throughout the development process. Earlier this year, SouthPeak raised $12.9 million in private equity financing to fund a broad variety of indie games. Although no value for the Gamecock acquisition was revealed, it's possible at least a portion of this recent funding supported the move. SouthPeak's recent full-year results also saw revenue increase 220 percent to about $40 million thanks to its RPG Two Worlds. Gamecock recently revealed the formation of its own casual label, Upshot Games; it appears that Upshot is included in the deal, but Gamasutra has contacted the company for comment and will update as we receive it. "We are thrilled to be joining forces with SouthPeak to continue to bring great original titles from independent developers to market with a stronger sales and distribution reach,” says Gamecock CEO Mike Wilson. "We have followed each other's progress closely over the last two years, and combining our team with theirs results in a very strong and well-rounded force in the market."